Jennifer Burns - The Truth About Ayn Rand
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- Jennifer Burns shares the truth about Ayn Rand and her life.
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Was Ayn Rand the greatest thinker of the 20th century?
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Eddie Willers' fate in Atlas Shrugged. , I would say he is deeply tragic, but in a way that potentially challenges some of Rand's own philosophical framework.
Eddie represents complete loyalty, dedication, and honest work - qualities that Rand ostensibly valorizes. Yet his end is devastating: abandoned, broken, and alone. He embodies a kind of middle capability - neither a John Galt-level genius nor an actively destructive person like James Taggart. He's simply a competent, dedicated worker who believes in doing his job well.
His tragedy stems from several layers:
First, there's the personal tragedy of his unwavering loyalty being "rewarded" with abandonment. His relationship with Dagny Taggart and the railroad isn't just professional - it's the core of his identity and sense of purpose. To see it all crumble, and to be left behind by those he served faithfully, is crushing.
Second, there's a philosophical tragedy in how his fate seems to contradict Rand's stated values. If the novel celebrates productive work and loyalty to rational principles, why does a character who exemplifies these qualities meet such a devastating end? This raises questions about whether Rand's philosophy truly has room for the Eddie Willers of the world - the competent but not exceptional workers who keep society running.
Third, there's the symbolic tragedy of what he represents: the fate of those caught between the "strikers" and the "looters." Eddie understands and respects productive achievement, but he isn't deemed worthy of salvation by Galt's group. He's too good for the collapsing world but not good enough for the new one being built.
Perhaps most poignantly, Eddie's tragedy highlights a potential blind spot in Rand's philosophy: what happens to those who share the right values but lack exceptional abilities? His fate suggests that mere dedication and honest work aren't enough - that there's something almost cruel in the novel's sorting of people into the exceptional and the left-behind.
Would you say this treatment of Eddie represents a flaw in Rand's philosophical framework, or does it serve a different purpose in the novel's overall message?
The key element in Ayn Rand is her theory of concepts, Measurement Omission, which enables her to specify concepts more precisely. That is, her definition of _selfishness_ is more precise than the one commonly used in our culture, which is due to a weak theory of concepts which has not only separated concepts from reality but also drained concepts of content through the synthetic/analytical dichotomy.
This Jennifer Burns is really good at wrapping up.
The truth about Ayn Rand is that you are an adult and you don't get to do only what you want.
The balance between individuals and the societal contribution will always be there. Power will always be there.
They will always in there
Rand is my favorite author.
Refining ourselves to be the best human we ourselves can be enables us to make the greatest contribution to the whole. As my father quoted to me as a boy, ""To thine own self be true and then it follows as the night the day thou canst be false to any man," Ayn knew her Shakespeare.
"Selfishness" has too many negative connotations to rehabilitate. "Self-actualization" has already been taken (Maslow, et al.), and it contains elements Rand would disapprove, such as a unification of individualism and altruism, as well as spiritual/transcendent overtones at the higher levels. I think that "rational self-interest" or "enlightened self-interest" are better choices. ... Nathaniel Branden, who was mentioned in the clip, has an essay I would recommend to anyone who likes Rand/objectivism: "The Benefits and Hazards of the Philosophy of Ayn Rand." As a psychologist who knew Rand intimately, he was in a good position to comment.
I would add Carl Jung as well...
This woman is a mess.
There is nothing intellectual, rational, or ethical about Rand’s philosophy. That’s why most people that appreciate her are teenagers that eventually see that objectivism is bullshit.
There are few more rational thinkers than Rand. You would know that if you had read a single book of hers. Why don't you give us just one example of an irrational idea Rand has and why it is irrational? Bet ya can't come up with even one.
Making the case for selfishness attacks altruism and communism directly. Self actualization doesn't argue against the essence of communism. It says, I can't say why you are wrong.
selfishness contrasts with altruism. "self actualization" is related to individualism, which is the opposite of collectivism. Collectivism and communism go hand in hand.
Maybe she just doesn’t know English well?😂😂😂
it's not selfishness, it's freedom..... because everyone who claims not to be selfish ACTUALLY WASN'T selfish, they'd be all charity workers, instead of earning living for themselves..... working for your own capital gives you freedom and choice..... because the moment you are forced to depend on capital you don't own, you are always at mercy of someone else's emotions at the moment..... and if the one you depend on doesn't like you at the moment, then what ? you won't be able to eat or pay bills, just because that person has a "shitty day" :D